


The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men (Are Often Quite a Pain)

by NervousAsexual



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Rare Pair Gre'thor, Trek Rare Pair Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-09
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2019-01-29 14:03:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12632565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAsexual/pseuds/NervousAsexual
Summary: Dohlman Elaan's plan to ensnare Jim Kirk went off without a hitch, and T'Pring's plan to escape marriage to Spock failed miserably.  Now they're both feeling regretful.





	The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men (Are Often Quite a Pain)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katiemariie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiemariie/gifts).



"Do you know what I hate?" Elaan said to T'Pring when they met on the bridge of the Enterprise.

"No-but-if-you-hum-a-few-bars-I-will-fake-it," Chekov piped up from his station, and Elaan and T'Pring both gazed at him with disdain.

"I do not," T'Pring said, when at last the ensign had resigned himself to his shame.

"Plans." Elaan flounced out her skirts and settled herself in the captain's chair. "I hate plans."

The vulcan put her head to one side.

"How very... inconvenient," she said at last.

"This business with Kirk has irritated me. There are other things I could be doing, yet I am shackled by this plan for our marriage."

As a rule T'Pring used few obvious facial expressions, but she allowed herself a small frown. "That was your own plan, wasn't it?"

"The very worst kind of plan." From somewhere about her person Elaan produced a bottle of Romulan ale. "Care for a drink?"

T'Pring shook her head.

"And the plan for your marriage to Spock... I'm irritated on your behalf."

"...Thank you?"

 "Mm," Elaan mumbled mid-swig. She swallowed, then burped. "Not a problem. I often find details of other people's lives to be irritating, especially when those details are plans. What do plans accomplish, other than keeping you from doing what you really want to do?"

"I know what you mean," T'Pring said, though in truth she did not. She found she very rarely understood much about the dohlman. She created intricate plans for her own benefit only to later bemoan them as overly complicated. She looked every bit the delicate flower T'Pring had expected, and yet she had seen her put a visiting dignitary in a headlock for daring to impugn her honor in some small way.

She was, to borrow a phrase from T'Pring's own fiance, fascinating.

"So I have created a new plan."

"Which you hate. Because you hate plans."

Elaan waved a hand dismissively. "The lesser of the two evils."

There was a gentle throat-clearing noise behind them and they both glanced up to see Kirk shuffling his feet awkwardly beside the captain's chair.

"If you don't mind, dearest," he said, "I need to speak to the away team."

Elaan glanced over to the communications terminal. Uhura, seated at her usual post, shrugged.

For a moment T'Pring thought she would argue--after all, was it really necessarily for Kirk to assume his usual seat to speak with the away team?--but at last Elaan rose from her seat with the grace and dignity of a deposed queen.

"Very well," Elaan said. "Come, T'Pring, we can talk as we walk."

"You-are-a-poet-and-did-not-know-it-but-your-feet-show..." Chekov tried to say, but they were in the turbolift and gone before he finished.

 "I think you will like this plan," Elaan said. "It involves me beaming down to this planet and seeking passage on the next mining ship leaving orbit."

T'Pring felt some small semblance of disappointment, to her surprise. If Elaan left the Enterprise, that would leave her all but alone here. "A mining ship? Wouldn't that be very... rough?"

"Precisely so. Jimothy has introduced me to a concept during our time together--'camping,' he calls it, or 'roughing it.' It involves deliberately going out into the wilderness or at the very least the uncivilized world and trying to survive for sport."

This sounded very human indeed. "And you are going to 'rough it,' then?"

The turbolift stopped and T'Pring saw with sadness that they had stopped not far from the transporter room. Undoubtedly they would be saying goodbye sooner than she could have imagined. Her feet felt quite heavy as she followed Elaan down the hall.

"That is the idea of the thing," Elaan said. "And if it proves enjoyable, who can say? Perhaps I will continue 'roughing it' well after I've left the mining ship."

They stopped at the door to the door to the transporter room and T'Pring prepared herself for farewell.

"Also," Elaan said, before T'Pring could bring herself to say a word, "I would be honored if you would join me on this journey."

T'Pring found she couldn't speak at all.

"We make a good pair, I believe. We could have many interesting adventures together."

"But I am engaged to Spock..."

"And is that a plan you wish to continue with?"

It wasn't. In fact, she found herself wishing to be part of Elaan's plan.

"What do you say, T'Pring? Will you join me in this adventure of a lifetime?"

"I will," T'Pring said, and then, louder, "I will!"

Elaan smiled broadly and took T'Pring's hand in hers, and together they walked into the transporter room.

"Yeoman," Elaan said, gazing into T'Pring's eyes. "Two to beam down."


End file.
